"The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses." ~ Malcolm X

"The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history." ~ George Orwell

"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words." ~ Philip K. Dick

Manipulation shows up anywhere and in different forms.

Manipulation occurs when someone tries to influence others to get what they want in sneaky ways.

People who use manipulation conceal their true intentions to make others trust them, so no one suspects they’re hiding anything.

The Illusion of Control

Manipulators are the puppeteer making a puppet/person look like it’s moving on its own. This way, people don’t realize they’re being influenced.

Manipulators scapegoat others, blaming someone else for mistakes or bad outcomes to protect their own image. It allows them to keep looking trustworthy and competent, even if things go wrong.

Manipulators Use Visual Images to Gain Influence

Military leaders such as Napoleon or Genghis Khan put themselves in front of their troops to create a powerful, strong, and brave image. This makes people feel loyal and strengthens the leader’s authority.

Historically, many politicians hide their real actions and blame others for problems to keep a good image.

In societal situations, people might give others the illusion of control, subtly pushing them to make choices that the manipulator wants.

This makes others feel like they are deciding for themselves, even when they’re being influenced.

In some professions, it’s the name of the game to survive, especially salespeople. Most of the time, it’s nothing unethical that they do, but they need to put food on their table. In many cases, it’s a profession that people expect.

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